Improvement in wood pavements



NITED STATES ATEN rrrc.

JOSEPH J. SOHROYER, OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HISRIGHT TO CHARLES A. HELME, ()F SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN WOOD PAVEMENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 165,882, dated July 20,1875; application filed June 26, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J. J. ScHRoYER, 0tSpringfield, in the county of Sangamon and State of Illinois, haveinvented anew and valuable Improvement in WoodenP-avements; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the construction and operation of the same, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings making a part of this specification,and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

The figure of the drawings is a representation of a vertical section ofmy improved pavement.-

My invention relates to an improved means of preserving the woodenblocks of a pavement, consisting of several layers of such blockssuperimposed one upon the other; and it consists in providing each blockof the upper layer of the pavement with recesses near their uppersurfaces, into which petroleum and wet salt are introduced and confinedby plugs, the petroleum, by capillary attraction and gravity,impregnating the upper layer of blocks, and thence being carried down tothe layer below, thus effectually preserving them. as will behereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents a properly-prepared road-bed,over which are laid the planks B, running lengthwise of the street atany desired distance apart. Over the planks B transverse sleepers O arelaid, in width about equal to the pa\-'ing-blocks, hereinafterdescribed. The spaces 0 between the sleepers are filled with fine sandor gravel flush with the surface of the sleepers. On top of thesesleepers cleats D are nailed, running lengthwise of them. Thepaving-blocks E recesses or mortises made in the blocks E near theirupper surfaces, and extending, preferably, more than half-Way throughthem in a horizontal direction. Into these recesses F petroleum and wetsalt are introduced, and confined and compressed therein by the plugs Ftightly fitting the recesses F, being of less length than said orifices.

The wood preservative thus introduced and compressed into the recesseswill, by capillary attraction, gradually impregnate the pores of theupper tier of the paving-blocks E, and thence pass into the woodenlayers below.

I have described and shown my invention as applied to layers of wood as1 preferably arrange them, though it is obvious that it can be appliedto layers of wooden blocks difi'erently arranged.

1 am aware that whale-oil and salt have heretofore been inserted betweenthe timbers of vessels, as in Gareys process, and I therefore make noclaim to such process, in which the whale or other oil is liable tobecome rancid in time, forming vegetable acids which rot the timber,which is not the case when petroleum is used.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A wooden pavement composed of several layers of blocks superimposed uponeach other, the upper tier of blocks being provided with recesses neartheir upper faces, into which petroleum and wet salt are introduced, andconfined by a pin substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH J. SGHROYER.

Witnesses:

E. (J. MATHENY, JOHN A. HUGHES.

v 2Sheets--Sheet2 S S EA R l G H T v Burglar-Alarm.

. P 1d] I 20,1875. JO-165,883. atene u y WITNESSES mviqrrh Y ATTUBNEYS.

